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The World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO) has been certified as carbon neutral for the fourth year running, furthering its efforts toward sustainability and social responsibility. Emissions measurements were conducted by environmental consulting firm Carbon Expert, which collaborates with CIBJO on its Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Measurement Initiative.
GHGs, or gases that trap heat in the planet’s atmosphere, include:
- carbon dioxide (CO2);
- methane;
- nitrous oxide; and
- fluorinated gases.
Factors such as fossil fuel use, organic waste decay, agricultural activities, and coal, natural gas, and oil production can accelerate the emission of these gases.
Carbon Expert’s 2016 assessment covered all GHGs emitted during the year by CIBJO as part of regular operations, including the organization’s annual congress last October. The confederation offset its emissions for the year by purchasing and retiring 167 registry voluntary carbon units (VCUs), which were invested in an India-based mini hydroelectric power plant that is a recognized carbon offsetting project.
“We are extremely proud to have been certified as carbon neutral once again, and I hope that this will serve as a model for others in the industry,” said Gaetano Cavalieri, CIBJO president. “Global warming leading to climate change is a phenomenon that threatens every single living being, and it can only be challenged if we work both individually and in unison. Proper environmental stewardship is an integral component of corporate responsibility, and it should come to be considered a hallmark of how we go about our business in the jewellery and gemstone sector.”
Companies seeking to improve their sustainability efforts may participate in the GHG Measurement Initiative as well. Launched in 2014 by CIBJO’s Marketing and Education Commission, the initiative allows those in the gems and jewellery industry to work with Carbon Expert to comply with and understand ISO 14064, Greenhouse Gases, and ISO 20121, Sustainable Events.
